Kentucky's Julius Randle, guarded here by Boise State's Jeff Elorriaga during UK's 70-55 victory Tuesday, understands the significance of the North Carolina rivalry. Randle had 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Broncos.

Written by

Kyle Tucker
The (Louisville) Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON The University of Kentucky's basketball coach and star player aren't exactly downplaying the significance of the 11th-ranked Wildcats' game at No. 18 North Carolina today. After a year off, they'll renew the rivalry between two of the top three programs in all-time wins, NCAA Tournament appearances, Final Fours and national titles.

"It's Carolina-Kentucky. What do I gotta do? I need a Knute Rockne speech?" UK coach John Calipari said. "Think about the players that have gone through there and the players that have gone through here. You think about (coaches) from Frank McGuire, ...